Lara Croft - The Tremble of your Lips
by xoxmarshaxox
Summary: Lara can't relate to the magical love story between two Egyptian Gods. However, this story leads Lara to an adventure back in Egypt where she almost grasps Set's gem of love and devotion. Seconds before it's in her hands, it's stolen by an unknown figure whom she begins a quest to search for. Things aren't well at the manor either, as dear Winston is showing his age...


**Author's Note:**

**This is set after Tomb Raider Underworld, Angel of Darkness and Legend. This also includes the memories of Tomb Raider 2013 and Tomb Raider I, II & III. A new adventure, yet still carrying her past.**

**Warning: I'm not a native English speaker. If you've read my previous stories, you'd have noticed. Please be understanding of my standard. Finally, please enjoy!**

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Chapter One - The Return to Egypt

Lara gripped the rifle tighter to her chest, closing her left eye. She looked through the scope, aiming at the target's head. One shot and he'd be dead. All it takes is to pull the trigger. Lara let out an overwrought sigh before taking in a deep breath. Just at that moment, where her heart skipped a beat and she was prepared to end his life... her communications device blew into her ear.

"Lara, are you there?" Zip spoke.

"What is it Zip?" Lara asked, her voice clearly showing she was agitated.

"You don't have to do it the hard way Lara," he began quickly explaining. "I scanned the area around you and found a back passage to the tomb at the north west side of the mountain."

Lara let go of her target and looked at the north west side. She took a step forward, noticing that Zip was correct. Behind the two large cargo trucks was a small passage with a wide open gate. Easy go.

"Thank you Zip," Lara smiled, adjusting the rifle back onto her back.

"The question is... how are you going to get there?"

"I'll manage," Lara smugly replied before turning off her communications device.

Lara observed her surroundings more carefully. The Egyptian heat was getting to her, the evidence being the trickle of sweat on the side of her forehead. She was standing on a large brick tower, over-seeing a newly discovered underground pyramid. Of course - tomb robbers were the first to lay their hands on it, and Lara was surely disappointed to find that others had beat her to it. Lara had studied a lot of Egyptian myths. This newly discovered pyramid was her answer to Alem - a small tiny blue gem that was given to Nephthys as a gift from her husband - Set, the God of deserts, evil and storm. Lara was sure the gem was placed here, hidden by a sand storm to protect Nephthys gift.

Lara climbed down the tower at a steady pace, taking her time. She didn't want the sand to pick up and announce her presence to the military men standing at guard.

The question had not crossed her mind yet; who were these men? At this stage in her adventuring life - Lara didn't care. She had too many to deal with in the past she certainly wouldn't be able to remember them all.

Finally in the shadow of the sun, Lara inched passed two guards, using barrels, boulders and trucks to protect her. Lara stopped in her tracks when she overheard the next guard speaking. He mentioned something about who was inside.

"Yes sir, I understand. We'll send another team as back up," he said into the radio.

"And watch out for that Croft woman... she's always around these sort of events," an old croaky voice spoke. Lara didn't recognize it. Lara leaned forward, prepared to squirm past the guard after he'd turned around. After successfully passing the guards, Lara turned on the torch light on her right shoulder and walked into the passage way.

It was dark and cold but very dry. The walls were sand covered and plain. She walked on for what seemed like a few hundred meters. She turned on her communications device and spoke into it, already knowing Zip was on the other line.

"Zip, how long does this passage go on for?"

"Lara! Please don't turn the thing off! I was worried for you!"

"Me? Please," she playfully joked.

"The passage... well... it's long... about four hundred meters or so I suppose. You'll enter a circular chamber then. It's oddly shaped I admit. You'll have to go straight downwards then. In the center of the room it shows a tunnel going down about ten meters. You should be very careful Lara."

"I feel so blessed you're watching over me Zip. I'll keep the communications on for now, but once I'm around military men I'm going to have to turn it off," she told him sternly.

"Alright, just don't turn off your camera."

"By the way Zip... how's Winston doing?" Lara asked, a pause in her voice.

"He's resting now. He's definitely overdue for retirement."

"We'll speak of that when I return from Egypt," Lara nodded her head silently in agreement. It was true, the old man was showing his age. His job wasn't a usual butler's profession either. He was a Croft's butler - and an irreplaceable one at that.

"Looks like I'm about to enter that room," Lara announced as she could see light at the end of the tunnel. Once she reached the exit, she almost gasped at the size of the room. The room was semi-circular in shape and not triangular at all. The hieroglyphics were on every inch of the wall, ceiling and even the floor. The room consisted of three tombs all formed around in a circle, pointing towards the channel that led downwards.

"That's it!" Zip suddenly exclaimed. "I'm convinced the Egyptians were aided by the aliens!"

Lara was almost at the point of believing him. These designs, these structures - they were all completely out of this world. She could bet her life on the fact that such an architectural design in the modern world didn't even exist.

"Could you please stop whirling around?" Zip asked, "it's making me dizzy," he jokingly complained. Lara had not noticed that she was spining around continuously, lost in the room. It was breathtaking and beautiful in so many ways - not even from an archeologists point of view - but from the point of view of the general public. If anyone were to ever see this they would also be like Lara - spinning around in circles.

Lara cleared her head, prepared to travel downwards the tunnel. It was also dark and she couldn't seem to see the bottom of the bottomless pit.

"How far down did you say it is?" Lara asked.

"Ten meters... give or take a meter."

Lara attached her grapple to one of the tombs. She gave it a good tug to make sure it could withstand her weight. She traveled down the passage slowly, taking her time as she gripped onto the wire rope. Her gloves were heating up from the friction. Lara used her feet against the passage walls to keep her steady and in balance. It took quiet some time to travel all the way down. She released herself from the attachment, leaving the grapple behind.

"Aren't you going to need it?" Zip asked in a little panic.

"Such tombs were designed to have a one way exit and a one way entrance. If something ahead gets blocked this is my only way out," she explained to him.

"You're being very cautious about this tomb..." Zip noted.

Lara traveled down a short passage again, this time without asking Zip how long it was because she could already see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Isn't the structure a little strange?" Zip asked her.

"What do you mean?" Lara asked.

"All these tunnels and passages with no rooms as such," he explained. Lara was about to reply to him but a trickle of sand from the ceiling of the passage fell on her face. She sneezed loudly as it itched upon her nose.

"What was that?" someone from inside the room demanded. Lara immediately turned off torch and pinned herself against the wall as she crawled closer and closer to the room.

This room was much larger in size but the ceiling was lower. The design was a little similar to the previous room she had been, but it had taken in a lot more damage. There were lights and such set up by the tomb raiders that entered before her. At the center alter was a clergy man of sort, praying in an Egyptian dialect.

Lara realized what was going on. The man was trying to cast a spell of some sort on the stone... no he was trying to get rid of a protection spell! The Ancient Egyptians were prone on cursing their valuable items to protect them from robbers. Since this gem was given by the God of evil, it was more than likely that it was actually a curse on the gem, not a spell. Curses were different - and usually irreversible.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose. A massive explosion occurred from the east wall, sending all the body guards - including Lara, to the ground. Lara tried to get back on her feet immediately but the explosion was followed directly with another one.

Lara looked up to find a figure running across from the explosion, shooting from a handgun. He killed two of the military men closest to him and kicked the clergy man in face.

Gathering up her wits and all the remaining energy Lara had, she ran from the passage and straight towards the man who was about to steal the gem. He, unfortunately, was too quick for Lara. Before he even grabbed the gem, he threw a grenade by her feet. Lara dived to the side to avoid the explosion. She pinned her body to the ground and the floors violently vibrated. Once Lara looked up, she found that the man had run off with the gem - leaving her stranded behind with an underground pyramid that was collapsing.

Collapsing quickly.


End file.
